U.S. patent number 10,733,333 [Application Number 15/416,723] was granted by the patent office on 2020-08-04 for building data consolidation methods and systems.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Honeywell International Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Honeywell International Inc.. Invention is credited to Henry Chen, Jian Geng Du, Liana M. Kiff, Tom Plocher, Michelle Raymond, Yan Xia.
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United States Patent |
10,733,333 |
Chen , et al. |
August 4, 2020 |
Building data consolidation methods and systems
Abstract
Devices, methods, systems, and computer-readable media for
building data consolidation are described herein. One or more
embodiments include a method for building data consolidation,
comprising: receiving a plurality of representative drawings that
comprise a portion of a building, determining a boundary and a
location of each of the plurality of representative drawings,
wherein the boundary and the location correspond to the building,
and stitching the plurality of representative drawings into a
combined representative drawing of the building based on the
boundary and the location.
Inventors: |
Chen; Henry (Beijing,
CN), Du; Jian Geng (Beijing, CN), Xia;
Yan (Beijing, CN), Plocher; Tom (Hugo, MN),
Kiff; Liana M. (Minneapolis, MN), Raymond; Michelle
(Minneapolis, MN) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Honeywell International Inc. |
Morris Plains |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Honeywell International Inc.
(Morris Plains, NJ)
|
Family
ID: |
1000004965413 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/416,723 |
Filed: |
January 26, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20170147717 A1 |
May 25, 2017 |
|
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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PCT/CN2014/084693 |
Aug 19, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
30/13 (20200101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
30/13 (20200101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
Dong, Bing et al. "A BIM-Enabled Information Infrastructure for
Building Energy Fault Detection and Diagnosis", May 10, 2014,
Automation in Construction 44, Elsevier B.V. (Year: 2014). cited by
examiner .
Becerik-Gerber, Burcin et al., "Application Areas and Data
Requirements for BIM-Enabled Facilities Management", Mar. 1, 2012,
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE. (Year:
2012). cited by examiner .
Teran, Jose et al., "Building Information Modeling (BIM) Approach
to the GMT Project", Jul. 22, 2014, SPIE Astronomical Telecopes +
Instrumentation, SPIE. (Year: 2014). cited by examiner .
Lin, Ya-Hong et al. "The IFC Based Planning for 3D Indoor Spaces",
Nov. 21, 2019, Advanced Engineering Informatics, 27, Elsevier Ltd.
(Year: 2012). cited by examiner .
Yin, Xuetao et al. "Generating 3D Building Models from
Architectural Drawings: A Survey", Jan./Feb. 2009, Arizona State
University, IEEE Computer Society. (Year: 2009). cited by examiner
.
Ibraham, Magdy M. et al. "A Web-Based Approach to Transferring
Architectural Information to the Construction Site Based on the BIM
Object Concept", 2004, CAADRIA. (Year: 2004). cited by examiner
.
Duddy, Keith et al., "Q: Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk? A:
They're Both Objects", Oct. 1, 2012, Proceedings of the Modeling of
the Physical World Workshop. (Year: 2012). cited by examiner .
International Search Report from related PCT Application
PCT/CN2014/084693 dated May 21, 2015, 3 pp. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Johnson; Cedric
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Seager, Tufte & Wickhem,
LLP
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A computer-aided method for consolidating building data into a
Building Information Model (BIM), comprising: receiving a plurality
of representative drawings that comprise a portion of a building,
the plurality of representative drawings including Computer-Aided
Design (CAD) drawings; extracting a number of layers from the CAD
drawings, one of the extracted layers including a Heating
Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) related layer; extracting
CAD data from the CAD drawings; extracting equipment parameters
from the CAD drawings; fusing the extracted CAD data and the
extracted equipment parameters from the CAD drawings into a
Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBIE) table
for at least the portion of the building; assigning the extracted
number of layers into a number of categories; and merging the
categories together to form the BIM model to correspond with the
COBIE table.
2. The computer-aided method of claim 1, wherein one of the number
of categories comprises a floor plan category.
3. The computer-aided method of claim 1, wherein one of the number
of layers comprises one of a door layer, a wall layer, a room tag
layer or a stair layer.
4. The computer-aided method of claim 1, wherein one of the number
of layers comprises one of a diffuser layer, a Variable Air Volume
(VAV) layer or a ductwork layer.
5. The computer-aided method of claim 1, wherein the extracted
number of layers correspond to a single floor of the building.
6. The computer-aided method of claim 1, wherein the extracted
number of layers correspond to a plurality of different floors of
the building.
7. The computer-aided method of claim 1, wherein extracting a
number of layers from the CAD drawings comprises extracting a
single layer type or a single object at a time.
8. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising
instructions to: receive a plurality of representative drawings
that comprise at least a portion of a building, the plurality of
representative drawings including Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
drawings; extract CAD data from the CAD drawings; extract equipment
parameters from the CAD drawings; fuse the extracted CAD data and
the extracted equipment parameters from the CAD drawings into a
Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBIE) table
for at least the portion of the building; and form a Building
Information Model (BIM) that correspond with the COBIE table.
9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, further
comprises instructions to: extract a number of layers from the CAD
drawings, one of the extracted layers including a Heating
Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) related layer; categorize
the extracted number of layers into a number of categories; and
merge the categories together to form the Building Information
Model (BIM) that correspond with the COBIE table.
10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein
one of the number of layers comprises one of a door layer, a wall
layer, a room tag layer or a stair layer.
11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein
one of the number of layers comprises one of a diffuser layer, a
Variable Air Volume (VAV) layer or a ductwork layer.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11,
wherein extracting a number of layers from the Computer-Aided
Drawing (CAD) drawings comprises extracting a single layer type or
a single object at a time.
13. The non-transitory computer readable The medium of claim 8,
further comprising instructions to identify a number of objects
including: spaces, doors, stairs, and elevators.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13,
wherein the number of objects includes Heating Ventilating and Air
conditioning (HVAC) data including: diffuser data, Variable Air
Volume (VAV) data, Air Handling Unit (AHU) data, and ductwork
data.
15. A system for building a Building Information Model (BIM) for at
least part of a building from a plurality of Computer-Aided Design
(CAD) drawings, comprising: a computer memory; and a computer
processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in
the computer memory to: receive a plurality of CAD drawings that
each comprise a portion of a building with a corresponding number
of objects; extract a number of objects from each of the plurality
of CAD drawings including object data and object parameters;
determine a boundary of each of the plurality of CAD drawings;
determine a location of the number of objects within the building;
stitch the plurality of CAD drawings into a BIM representation of
the building based on the boundary and the location of the number
of extracted objects within the building; and associate extracted
object data and extracted object parameters with the number of
extracted objects, the number of extracted objects including
Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) objects; and
creating a Construction Operations Building Information Exchange
(COBIE) table for at least the portion of the building based at
least in part on the extracted object data and the extracted object
parameters.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the object data from the
extracted objects includes one or more of: a corresponding name, a
corresponding object number, a corresponding serial number, and
object usage data.
17. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions to associate
extracted object data and extracted object parameters includes
instructions to bind the object data and object parameters to a
corresponding object.
18. The system of claim 15, further comprising instructions to
align a CAD drawing from the plurality of CAD drawings that
represents a bottom floor of the building with at least one other
CAD drawing from the plurality of CAD drawings.
19. The system of claim 15, wherein the number of extracted objects
includes a particular layer of devices that interact to provide a
system for the building.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority to PCT Application No.
PCT/CN2014/084693, filed Aug. 19, 2014, which is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to methods, devices, system, and
computer-readable media for building data consolidation.
BACKGROUND
Building information modeling (BIM) can refer to the generation
and/or management of data associated with a building (e.g., data
associated with the components, equipment, and/or properties of a
building). For example, BIM data can include architectural,
mechanical, electrical, plumbing, sanitary, fire, and/or
geometrical information associated with a building.
The leading international standard for describing the data
contained within a building information model is called the
Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), which is an open standard
designed and maintained by the Building Smart Alliance. This is a
very comprehensive standard that provides for the description of
data related to many sub-domains related to the design, build,
construction, and/or operation of a built environment (e.g.,
building).
The amount of BIM data associated with a building, and codified or
expressed in the IFC standard, tends to be proportional to the size
of the building, and can grow exponentially based on the number of
specific sub-domains that are identified and documented in the BIM,
including, for example, plumbing, electrical, or HVAC systems.
Therefore, even a small building with very complete information for
many different systems within the building may have a very large
amount of BIM data associated therewith.
BIM data can be very useful information for a building manager,
building contractor, building maintenance, among other service
providers for a building. Many buildings do not currently have BIM
data associated with the building. Buildings that do not have BIM
data associated with them can have limitations when it comes to
navigation, maintenance, and troubleshooting products.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an example of a method for building data consolidation
according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is an example of a building model for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 3 is an example of a method for building data consolidation
according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is an example of a building model for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 5 is an example of a method for building data consolidation
according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is an example of a building model for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 7 is an example of a method for building data consolidation
according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is an example of a diagram of a device for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Devices, methods, systems, and computer-readable media for building
data consolidation are described herein. For example, one or more
embodiments can include a method for building data consolidation,
comprising: receiving a plurality of representative drawings that
comprise a portion of a building, determining a boundary and a
location of each of the plurality of representative drawings,
wherein the boundary and the location correspond to the building,
and stitching the plurality of representative drawings into a
combined representative drawing of the building based on the
boundary and the location.
The devices, methods, systems, and computer-readable media for
building data consolidation can include extracting data from
computer-aided drawings (CAD drawings) (e.g., CAD representations,
etc.). Features of the CAD drawings can be extracted into a number
of layers (e.g., categories). Each of the number of layers can
include information relating to features of the CAD drawings that
relate to the corresponding layer. For example, a door layer can
include information from the CAD drawings that corresponds to doors
within the CAD drawings. In this example, the information from the
CAD drawings can include a location within a building where a
particular door is located. In addition, the information from the
CAD drawings can include additional information relating to a door
type.
The devices, methods, systems, and computer-readable media for
building data consolidation can also include stitching a number of
zones of a building into a complete representation of a building.
Stitching the number of zones into a complete representation can
include generating and/or receiving a number of primitives that
represent a particular zone (e.g., area) of a building. The number
of primitives can be analyzed to determine a location of each of
the primitives and the number of primitives can be stitched
together based on the determined location.
In addition, building data consolidation can include extracting
floor plans, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) plans,
and/or schedule plans and fusing the information extracted from the
plans into construction operations building information exchange
(CoBie) data. In some embodiments, building data consolidation can
include extracting data from the CAD drawings to produce a number
of primitives of the building, stitching the number of primitives
at determined locations to generate a complete representation of
the building, and generating a CoBie table based on the extracted
information from the CAD drawings and complete representation.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings that form a part hereof. The drawings show by
way of illustration how one or more embodiments of the disclosure
may be practiced.
These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable
those of ordinary skill in the art to practice one or more
embodiments of this disclosure. It is to be understood that other
embodiments may be utilized and that process changes may be made
without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments
herein can be added, exchanged, combined, and/or eliminated so as
to provide a number of additional embodiments of the present
disclosure. The proportion and the relative scale of the elements
provided in the figures are intended to illustrate the embodiments
of the present disclosure, and should not be taken in a limiting
sense.
The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the first
digit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and the
remaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.
Similar elements or components between different figures may be
identified by the use of similar digits.
As used herein, "a" or "a number of" something can refer to one or
more such things. For example, "a number of security levels" can
refer to one or more security levels. Additionally, the designator
"N", as used herein, particularly with respect to reference
numerals in the drawings, indicates that a number of the particular
feature so designated can be included with a number of embodiments
of the present disclosure.
FIG. 1 is an example of a method 100 for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure. The method 100 can be utilized to extract data from a
number of CAD drawings 102 of a building to generate a building
information modeling (BIM) model of the building.
The method 100 can include a number of CAD drawings 102. The number
of CAD drawings 102 can be CAD representations of a building. The
CAD drawings 102 can include a number of features of the building.
For example, the number of features of the building can include,
but are not limited to: doors, walls, rooms, stairs, elevators,
heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) components,
electrical equipment, plumbing equipment, among other features of a
building.
The method 100 can include a layer library 104. The layer library
104 can include a number of rules for extracting the number of
layers 108 from the CAD drawings 102. In some embodiments, the
layer library 104 can include a number of filters to extract the
number of layers 108 from the CAD drawings 102. The number of
filters in the layer library 104 can enable extraction of only
objects within a particular layer 108 (e.g., doors, spaces, HVAC
objects, etc.). The filters can be utilized to extract objects from
the CAD drawings 102 based on a layer naming convention that is
designated by the CAD drawings 102. The filters can also include
features to "turn on", "turn off", "freeze", and/or "thaw" in order
to extract specific data from specific layers of the CAD drawings
102. The features of the filters can be enabled and/or disabled to
reduce noise from the extracted data.
The method 100 can include selecting layers 106 (e.g., picking out
layers). Selecting layers 106 can include a selection menu that is
displayed to a user (e.g., human user, computing device, etc.). The
selection menu can include each of the number of layers 108 and
enable the user to select one or more of the layers 108. Selection
of one or more of the layers 108 can provide a display of the
selected one or more layers 108.
The number of layers 108 can be separated based on the rules and/or
filters in the layer library 104. The number of layers 108 can be
separated into a door layer 108-1, a wall layer 108-2, a room tag
layer 108-3, a stair layer 108-4, a diffuser layer 108-5, a
variable air volume (VAV) layer 108-6, and/or a ductwork layer
108-7, among various other layers 108. Each layer 108 of the CAD
drawings 102 can be extracted to obtain additional information
relating to each layer 108. For example, the door layer 108-1 can
be extracted at 110-1, the wall layer 108-2 can be extracted at
110-2, the room tag layer 108-3 can be extracted at 110-3, the
stair layer 108-4 can be extracted at 110-4, the diffuser layer
108-5 can be extracted at 110-5, the VAV layer 108-6 can be
extracted at 110-6, and the ductwork layer 108-7 can be extracted
at 110-7.
The number of layers 108 can be separated into a number of
categories. For example, the door layer 108-1, the wall layer
108-2, the room tag layer 108-3, and the stair layer 108-4 can be
categorized as part of a floor plan category. In another example,
the diffuser layer 108-5, the VAV layer 108-6, and the ductwork
layer 108-7 can be categorized as part of a MEP category. The
number of layers 108 can be separated into a number of categories
so that extracted data from each of the number of categories can be
merged into a BIM model. In some embodiments, the extracted data
from each of the number of categories is merged and then each of
the categories can be subsequently merged as described herein.
Primitive data from each layer 108 can be removed in order to
remove noise from the extracted data of each layer individually.
Primitive data can include, but is not limited to: lines, polygons,
polylines, rectangles, circles, ellipses, splines, arcs, text,
and/or other shapes and symbols to represent various objects within
the building.
The method 100 shows the floor plan category being merged. In some
embodiments the floor plan category can begin by merging the
extracted doors from 110-1 with the extracted walls 110-2 via
attaching doors 112. When the extracted doors 110-1 are merged with
the extracted walls 110-2, space data can be extracted via space
extraction 114. The space data can be extracted to identify rooms,
hallways, spaces for stairs, among other spaces within the building
described in the CAD drawing 102. The extracted space data can
include a number of spaces with no names (e.g., hallways, lobby,
seating areas, etc.). The extracted space data can also include
spaces with room names that were extracted via room tag extraction
110-4. The extracted room names can be merged with the extracted
space data via binding space names 116. Other extracted data
including the extracted stair data via stair extraction 110-4 can
be merged via a floor plan merger 118. The other extracted data can
include merging other layers that were extracted from the CAD
drawing 102.
The method 100 shows the extracted MEP data merged via MEP merger
120. The MEP data can include merging the extracted diffuser data
extracted via diffuser extraction 110-5, the extracted VAV data
extracted via VAV extraction 110-6, and/or the extracted ductwork
data extracted via ductwork extraction 110-7.
The method 100 can also include merging the number of categories.
The method 100 shows that the merged floor plan data that is merged
at floor plan merger 118 and the merged MEP data is merged at MEP
merger 120 via floor plan and MEP merger 122. The resulting floor
plan and MEP data can be exported to a computing device via
124.
The MEP merger 122 can include binding extracted object names from
the CAD drawings 102 to each corresponding object within the MEP
data. In addition, the floor plan merger 118 can include binding
extracted object names from the CAD drawings 102 to each
corresponding object within the floor plan data.
The method 100 can be utilized to extract a plurality of layers 108
(e.g., door layer 108-1, wall layer 108-2, room tag layer 108-3,
stair layer 108-4, diffuser layer 108-5, VAV layer 108-6, ductwork
layer 108-7, etc.) and merge the extracted layers 108 into a BIM
model by merging each layer 108 individually. As described herein,
the plurality of layers 108 can be separated into a number of
categories (e.g., floor plan category, MEP category, etc.). Each of
the number of categories can be merged separately. That is, the
extracted data from the floor plan category can be merged into the
BIM model separately from the extracted data from the MEP category.
As described herein, the floor plan category and the MEP category
can be merged together into a BIM model to generate a complete BIM
model of the building represented by the CAD drawings 102.
The method 100 can include a relatively higher accuracy of
identifying objects, spaces, walls, etc. from the CAD drawings 102
by extracting a single object type and/or single layer type from
multiple layers of the CAD drawings 102. Extracting a single object
type and/or single layer type from the CAD drawings 102 can reduce
the noise that may be generated from extracting multiple object
types and/or multiple layer types at the same time. In addition, by
removing the primitives of each layer from the extracted data can
also remove noise from the extracted data.
FIG. 2 is an example of a building model 230 for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure. The building model 230 can be a visual representation
of a portion of the method 100 as referenced in FIG. 1 for building
data consolidation.
The building model 230 can include a visual representation of space
tag data 232. The space tag data 232 can be extracted from a number
of CAD drawings as described herein. The extracted space tag data
232 can be merged into a BIM model and be displayed on a computing
device as described herein. The extracted space tag data 232 can
include information relating to room names, room numbers, and/or
other identification information of spaces within a building. The
displayed space tag data 232 can display the spaces within the
building and can include a number of names for the corresponding
spaces.
The building model 230 can include a visual representation of door
placement data 234. The door placement data 234 can be extracted
from a number of CAD drawings representing the building as
described herein. The extracted door placement data 234 can be
merged into a BIM model as described herein. The extracted door
placement data 234 can include location information for a plurality
of doors within the building. In some embodiments, the extracted
door placement data 234 can include information relating to each of
the plurality of doors within the building. For example, the
extracted door placement data 234 can include a type of door for
each location within the building where a door is placed. The type
of door can include a door model, a door size, and/or a door style,
among other features of the door.
The building model 230 can include merging the space tag data 232
and the door placement data 234 into a combined floor plan 236. The
combined floor plan 236 can include the space tag data 232 and the
door placement data 234. The combined floor plan 236 can be a BIM
model that can be displayed on a computing device.
As described herein, extracting a particular layer of objects
and/or extracting a particular object type from a particular layer
can reduce a quantity of noise that can be generated via the
extraction process. In addition, the extracted data can be
displayed for a single object and/or a single layer to display only
the objects and/or layers that are extracted to create displayed
data that is easier to recognize noise compared to previous
methods. That is, the displayed extracted data can be in a BIM
model format that enables a user to identify noise for each layer
without having to view other objects and/or layers in the same
display.
FIG. 3 is an example of a method 340 for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure. The method 340 can be utilized to extract data from a
number of CAD drawings 342 that are representative of a building,
stitch and align the extracted data, and utilize the extracted data
and/or primitives of the CAD drawings 342 to create a BIM model of
the building. The CAD drawings 342 can include floor plan data
relating to multiple floors of the building. The CAD drawings 342
can also include MEP data for multiple floors of the building. The
CAD drawings 342 can be comprised of geometry primitives or grouped
geometry primitives that can include a set of mixed basic
primitives (e.g., lines, polygons, etc.).
A number of primitives 344 can be extracted and generated from the
CAD drawings. The primitives 344 can include a relatively "rough"
geometric primitive of a particular area that is represented by the
CAD drawings. The primitives 344 can utilize: lines, polygons,
polylines, rectangles, circles, ellipses, splines, arcs, text,
and/or other shapes and symbols to represent various objects within
the building. Each of the number of primitives 344 can represent a
particular room and/or a particular area of the building. In some
embodiments, the number of primitives 344 can be extracted from the
CAD drawings 342 all at once. That is, all the information from the
CAD drawings 342 can be extracted to generate the primitives
344.
In some embodiments, the primitives 344 are divided into a
plurality of primitives 344 that each represent a particular area
of the building. For example, there can be a first primitive 344
that represents a kitchen within the building and a second
primitive 344 that represents an office within the building. In
order to generate a complete BIM model of the building, the number
of primitives 344 can be stitched together. The primitives 344 can
be divided based on a number of zones on a single story of the
building and/or the primitives 344 can be divided based on a
plurality of different stories (e.g., levels of a building).
Stitching the number of primitives 344 together can include placing
all of the primitives in a single story of the building. A first
primitive of the number of primitives 344 can be selected and a
second primitive can be selected for stitching the first primitive
and the second primitive together. In some embodiments, there can
be "overlap" between the first primitive and the second primitive.
Overlap can include a portion of the first primitive that is also
included in the second primitive. For example, a staircase may be
on an edge of the first primitive and the same staircase may also
be included on a corresponding edge of the second primitive. In
this example, there may be only one staircase and therefore the
staircase of the first and second primitive would be considered
overlap and the area may have to be edited to fix the overlap
and/or positioned so the overlap aligns before stitching the first
primitive to the second primitive.
There can be overlap details that includes a number of gridlines
that are displayed with the number of primitives 344. In some
embodiments, the gridlines can be imbedded in each of the number of
primitives 344. The embedded gridlines can be utilized to correctly
position each of the number of primitives 344 prior to stitching
the number of primitives 344 together. In some embodiments, the
gridlines can include an embedded mark on the number of primitives.
The embedded mark can be unique to a first primitive 344 and have a
corresponding embedded mark on a second primitive 344. The embedded
mark on the first primitive 344 can be aligned with the embedded
mark on the second primitive 344 to place the first primitive 344
and the second primitive 344 in a position for stitching that
accounts for the overlap between the first primitive 344 and the
second primitive 344.
Stitching the number of primitives 344 together can include
stitching the extracted number of primitives 344 with a number of
existing primitives 346. The number of existing primitives 346 can
include primitives that were generated from a different source
and/or generated earlier. Stitching to existing primitives 346 can
be skipped if there are no existing primitives 346. This can be
performed by the same and/or similar method as described
herein.
Stitching the number of primitives 344 together can include binding
a plurality of primitive images into a single primitive image by
determining boundaries of the plurality of primitive images and
aligning corresponding boundaries of the images before stitching
them together. In some embodiments, there can be multiple levels of
a building that can be stitched to other levels of the building.
For example, the building can include three levels (e.g., a ground
level, a first level, and a second level) that can each be stitched
together to give a single representation of the building.
Stitching the number of primitives together can include selecting a
valid area 348. Selecting a valid area 348 includes a selected area
that can include a number of building elements in the drawing. For
example, the valid area 348 can include floors, walls, doors,
and/or stairs. In some embodiments, the valid area 348 may not
include a legend or other description tables in the drawing.
Selecting the valid area 348 can include removing noise (e.g.,
objects that are not wanted, objects that do not exist, objects
that belong on a different story, primitives that belong on a
different story, etc.) within the valid area 348 of the drawing.
For example, all of the primitives can be extracted and presented
together on a representation of a first story. In this example, the
noise can include primitives that are not located on the first
story. That is, primitives that are on a different story (e.g.,
second story) may need to be removed as noise when aligning the
primitives for the first story.
When the valid area 348 is selected a reference drawing 350 can be
selected. The reference drawing 350 can be a drawing of a lower
story of the building. The reference drawing 350 can be utilized to
align a story that is above the reference drawing 350 by aligning
features that extend from the lower story to the story above the
lower story. The features can include stair cases that extend from
the lower story to the story above the lower story, an elevator
that extends from the lower story to the story above the lower
story, and/or walls that extend from the lower story to the story
above the lower story. The features can be aligned to ensure that
the lower layer and the story above the lower story are in the
correction position for stitching the lower layer and the story
above the lower story together.
The reference drawing 350 can also be a floor plan drawing of a
first floor. The floor plan drawing of the first floor can be a
reference drawing 350 for an MEP drawing for the first floor. That
is, a floor plan drawing can be utilized as a reference drawing 350
for stitching a MEP drawing to the floor plan drawing.
When the reference drawing 350 is selected a number of alignment
strategies 352 can be utilized to align and stitch the number of
primitives 344 together. The number of alignment strategies 352 can
allow for moving (e.g., shifting the number of primitives from left
to right and/or up and down relative to a user interface), rotating
(e.g., rotating the number of primitives by 45.degree., 90.degree.,
etc.), and/or scaling (e.g., increasing a size of the primitives,
decreasing a size of the primitives) the number of primitives 344.
The alignment strategies 352 can each be described in a single
coordinate system comprising a number of gridlines as described
herein.
The number of alignment strategies 352 can include matching a
number of features from a lower story to a number of features from
a higher story and/or a story above the lower story. In some
embodiments, a threshold number of features are utilized as feature
points when aligning the number of primitives 344. For example,
three features can be utilized in a first primitive 344 to
correspond to three features from a second primitive 344 when
aligning the first primitive 344 and the second primitive 344.
A transfer matrix can be utilized to translate the number of
primitives 344 to a particular coordinate system. That is, the
transfer matrix can include a calculation for translating each of
the number of primitives 344 into the particular coordinate system
at a particular position based on an embedded mark and/or a feature
point within each of the number of primitives 344. The embedded
mark can be an identification mark that is embedded in the number
of primitives to identify a position that recognizes and
compensates for overlap between the number of primitives 344. The
feature point can include identified structural features such as
boundaries, walls, stairs, elevators, etc. The feature point within
each of the number of primitives 344 can include particular
structural features within a first number of primitives 344 that
can correspond to structural features within a second number of
primitives 344.
The alignment strategies 352 can include a boundary analysis 352-1
to identify feature points within each of the number of primitives
344. The boundary analysis 352-1 can determine the exterior walls
of the building within each of the number of primitives 344. The
boundary analysis 352-1 can include calculating a polygon
representation of the exterior of the number of primitives 344. The
polygon representation of the exterior can be utilized as an input
for each story of the building and can be utilized to position each
story of the building. A number of corner points can be identified
from the polygon representation and an embedded mark can be placed
at each of the number of corner points of the primitives 344. The
embedded marks can be utilized as described herein.
The alignment strategies 352 can include a connection structure
alignment 352-2. The connection structures can include features
such as stairs and elevators that can connect a first story of the
building to a second story of the building. As described herein,
the connection structures can be identified and utilized to align a
first story of the building with a second story of the building.
For example, the connection structure such as a staircase of a
first story can be used to align a second story that is adjacent to
the first story based on the staircase that connects the first
story to the second story. In some embodiments, a mark can be
embedded on the staircase of the first story with a corresponding
mark embedded on the staircase of the second story.
The alignment strategies 352 can include point snapping 352-3.
Point snapping 352-3 can include defining a point that can be
selected when a user selects a location that includes a number of
feature points (e.g., endpoints of lines, corner of polygons, etc.)
and/or embedded marks within the primitives 344. The point snapping
352-3 can include identifying and altering a user when the number
of feature points and/or embedded marks are within a predetermined
area of the defined point. That is, a user can move a first
primitive 344 towards a second primitive 344 and when a feature
point from the first primitive 344 comes relatively close to a
feature point from the second primitive 344 the user can be alerted
that the feature point from the first primitive 344 and the feature
point from the second primitive 344 are in close proximity. In some
embodiments, the first primitive 344 and the second primitive 344
can be "snapped" into the correct position (e.g., position that
accounts for overlap) when the feature points are in relatively
close proximity.
When the number of primitives 344 are aligned with in a correct
position the number of primitives can be stitched together to
generate a single primitive 344 representation of the building. The
single primitive 344 representation of the building can be exported
354 to a computing device.
FIG. 4 is an example of a building model 460 for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure. The building model 460 can be a visual depiction of the
method 340 as described in reference to FIG. 3.
The building model 460 includes three visual representations of
primitives 462-1, 462-2, 462-3 that each correspond to particular
areas (e.g., zones) of a building. As described herein, a number of
feature points and/or embedded marks can be utilized to identify a
corresponding zone for each of the visual representations of
primitives 462-1, 462-2, 462-3.
Each of the visual representations of primitives 462-1, 462-2,
462-3 can be translated to the zones drawing grid 464. As described
herein, gridlines on the zones drawing grid 464 can include
information relating to overlap between each of the zones. The
information relating to the overlap between each of the zones can
be utilized to translate each of the visual representations of
primitives 462-1, 462-2, 462-3 at a corresponding zone. For
example, the visual representation of primitive 462-1 can be
translated to zone 1 of the zones drawing grid 464 and the overlap
information can be utilized to translate the visual representation
of primitive 462-2 to zone 2 of the zones drawing grid 464 in a
correct position relating to the boundary of the zones drawing grid
464 and in a correct position in relation to primitive 462-1. In
addition, the overlap information can be utilized to translate the
visual representation of primitive 462-3 to zone 9 of the zones
drawing grid 464. The overlap information can be utilized to
correctly position the visual representation of primitive 462-3
relatively to the visual representation of primitives 462-1 and
462-2 respectively.
The translated visual representation of primitives 462-1, 462-2,
462-3 to the zones drawing grid 464 can be stitched together to a
stitched grid. The stitched grid can be a single visual
representation of a particular story and/or particular stories of a
building.
FIG. 5 is an example of a method 570 for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure. The method 570 relates to extracting construction
operations building information exchange (CoBie) data from CAD
drawings 572. The CoBie data from the CAD drawings 572 can include,
but is not limited to: floor plan data from CAD drawings 572
relating to the floor plan of a building, HVAC data from MEP plan
drawings/CAD drawings 572, and/or equipment parameter tables from a
schedule drawing/CAD drawing 572.
The method 570 can include floor plan extraction 574-1 from floor
plan drawings of the CAD drawings 572. The floor plan extraction
574-1 can include extracting information relating to the floor plan
of a building. For example, floor plan extraction 574-1 can include
extracting information including, but not limited to: space data,
door data, stairs data, and/or elevator data, among other
information relating to the floor plan depicted in the CAD drawings
572.
The method 570 can include MEP extraction 574-2 from an MEP plan
drawing and/or CAD drawings 572. The MEP extraction 574-2 can
include extracting information relating to the HVAC system of the
building. For example, MEP extraction 574-2 can include extracting
information including, but not limited to: diffuser data, VAV data,
air handling unit (AHU) data, HVAC ductwork data, and/or supply
data, among other information relating to the MEP information
depicted in the MEP plan drawing and/or CAD drawings 572.
The method 570 can include schedule extraction 574-3 from the
schedule plan and/or CAD drawings 572. Schedule extraction 574-3
can include extracting information relating to equipment parameters
of systems that are operating in the building. For example,
schedule extraction 574-3 can include extracting equipment
parameters from a schedule drawing and/or CAD drawings 572. The
schedule drawing can include information and/or real time data that
corresponds to equipment (e.g., HVAC equipment, plumbing equipment,
electrical equipment, etc.) within the building. For example, the
schedule drawing can include, but is not limited to: equipment
numbers, inlet size of equipment, CFM levels, among other
information relating to the MEP system of the building.
The method 570 can include fusing extracted data 576 from the CAD
drawings 572. Fusing extracted data 576 can include fusing the
extracted data 576 in a CoBie template. In addition, fusing
extracted data 576 can include calculating information that is
requested by the CoBie format. That is, fusing the extracted data
can include calculating information that is going to be translated
into the CoBie table. The information that is requested can be
filled into a CoBie table (e.g., CoBie excel spreadsheet, etc.).
The CoBie table can then be exported at 578.
The method 570 can be a more accurate and more quickly data
extraction from the CAD drawings 572 compared to previous methods.
The method 570 can be utilized to convert table data from the CAD
drawings 572 into an excel or other table format automatically.
Automatically converting the data from the CAD drawings 572 can
reduce human error when inputting the data from the CAD drawings
572 to the CoBie table.
FIG. 6 is an example of a building model 680 for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure. The building model 680 can include a number of
scheduling tables 682 that correspond to a building. The scheduling
tables 682 can include information and/or real time data that
corresponds to equipment within the building. For example, the
scheduling tables 682 can include, but are not limited to:
equipment numbers, inlet size of equipment, CFM levels, among other
information relating to the MEP system of the building.
The building model 680 can also include a CAD drawing 684. The CAD
drawing 684 can include a visual representation of a number of
areas of the building. The CAD drawing 684 can include floor plan
information and/or MEP information as described herein.
The floor plan information and/or MEP information can be extracted
from the CAD drawing 684 and imported to a CoBie table 686. For
example, an equipment name can be extracted from the CAD drawing
684 and imported to a corresponding name box within the CoBie table
686. In another example, a space name from a space that includes
the equipment can be extracted into an area served box within the
CoBie table 686.
The information within the scheduling tables 682 can be extracted
and imported into the CoBie table 686. The information within the
scheduling tables 682 can be extracted and imported to
corresponding information for information extracted from the CAD
drawing 684. For example, the equipment number from the scheduling
tables 682 can be extracted and imported to the name box of the
corresponding name of the equipment that was extracted from the CAD
drawings 684. In addition, a max and min CFM rate can be extracted
from the scheduling tables 682 and imported to a corresponding min
and max CFM rate within the CoBie table 686. The building model 680
can be an automated process of extracting information from multiple
sources (e.g., CAD drawings 684, scheduling tables 682, etc.) into
a CoBie table 686. The building model 680 can remove human error
from data extraction and data implementation compared to previous
methods.
FIG. 7 is an example of a method 790 for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure. The method 790 can be utilized to consolidate data
and/or visual representations that are extracted from a number of
representative drawings (e.g., CAD drawings).
At box 792 the method 790 can include receiving a plurality of
representative drawings that comprise a portion of a building.
Receiving the plurality of representative drawings can include
receiving and/or obtaining a number of CAD drawings of the
building. As described herein, each of the number of CAD drawings
can each represent only a portion of the building, such as
particular room, a particular story of the building, and/or a
different portion of the building.
At box 794, the method 790 can include determining a boundary and a
location of each of the plurality of representative drawings,
wherein the boundary and the location correspond to the building.
As described herein, determining a boundary and location of each of
the plurality of representative drawings can include determining a
polygon boundary of the building and/or overlap data between each
of the number of representative drawings. The boundary and the
location of the number of representative drawings can be utilized
in aligning each of the number of representative drawings as
described herein. Determining the boundary and location can include
embedding a mark or locating a number of feature points between the
representative drawings.
At box 796, the method 790 can include stitching the plurality of
representative drawings into a combined representative drawing of
the building based on the boundary and the location. Stitching the
plurality of representative drawings can include binding the
representative drawings at intersection points. Stitching the
plurality of representative drawings can include embedding a number
of marks and/or identifying a number of corresponding features for
each of the plurality of representative drawings to indicate proper
alignment of each of the plurality of representative drawings.
The method 790 can provide for data extraction of multiple CAD
drawings into a single CAD drawing and/or BIM model as described
herein. The method 790 can include utilizing the extracted data to
generate a CoBie table. That is, the method 790 can include
extracting data from representative drawings and utilizing the
extracted data to generate a single representation of a building
and a corresponding CoBie table for the building. The method 790
can eliminate human error and extraction errors that can occur with
previous methods of building data consolidation.
FIG. 8 is an example of a diagram of a device 801 for building data
consolidation according to one or more embodiments of the present
disclosure. Computing device 801 can be, for example, a laptop
computer, a desktop computer, or a mobile device (e.g., a mobile
phone, a personal digital assistant, etc.), among other types of
computing devices.
As shown in FIG. 8, computing device 801 includes a memory 803 and
a processor 805 coupled to memory 803. Memory 803 can be any type
of storage medium that can be accessed by processor 805 to perform
various examples of the present disclosure. For example, memory 803
can be a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer
readable instructions (e.g., computer program instructions) stored
thereon that are executable by processor 805 to determine a
deployment of an access control system in accordance with one or
more embodiments of the present disclosure.
Memory 803 can be volatile or nonvolatile memory. Memory 803 can
also be removable (e.g., portable) memory, or non-removable (e.g.,
internal) memory. For example, memory 803 can be random access
memory (RAM) (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or
phase change random access memory (PCRAM)), read-only memory (ROM)
(e.g., electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)
and/or compact-disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), flash memory, a
laser disc, a digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disk
storage, and/or a magnetic medium such as magnetic cassettes,
tapes, or disks, among other types of memory.
Further, although memory 803 is illustrated as being located in
computing device 801, embodiments of the present disclosure are not
so limited. For example, memory 803 can also be located internal to
another computing resource (e.g., enabling computer readable
instructions to be downloaded over the Internet or another wired or
wireless connection).
As shown in FIG. 8, computing device 801 can also include a user
interface 807. User interface 807 can include, for example, a
display (e.g., a screen). The display can be, for instance, a
touch-screen (e.g., the display can include touch-screen
capabilities). User interface 807 (e.g., the display of user
interface 807) can provide (e.g., display and/or present)
information to a user of computing device 801.
Additionally, computing device 801 can receive information from the
user of computing device 801 through an interaction with the user
via user interface 807. For example, computing device 801 (e.g.,
the display of user interface 807) can receive input from the user
via user interface 807. The user can enter the input into computing
device 801 using, for instance, a mouse and/or keyboard associated
with computing device 801, or by touching the display of user
interface 807 in embodiments in which the display includes
touch-screen capabilities (e.g., embodiments in which the display
is a touch screen).
As used herein, "logic" is an alternative or additional processing
resource to execute the actions and/or functions, etc., described
herein, which includes hardware (e.g., various forms of transistor
logic, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), as
opposed to computer executable instructions (e.g., software,
firmware, etc.) stored in memory and executable by a processor.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described
herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any
arrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be
substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is
intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various
embodiments of the disclosure.
It is to be understood that the above description has been made in
an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of
the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically
described herein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon
reviewing the above description.
The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes any
other applications in which the above structures and methods are
used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure
should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along
with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are
entitled.
In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are grouped
together in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for the
purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure
is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the
embodiments of the disclosure require more features than are
expressly recited in each claim.
Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter
lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.
Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the
Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a
separate embodiment.
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